On February 8, 2003, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said: ” ‘When states decide to use force, not in self-defense but to deal with broader threats to international peace and security, there is no substitute for the unique legitimacy provided by the United Nations Security Council. States and peoples around the world attach fundamental importance to such legitimacy, and to the international rule of law.’ “
– Hans Blix, Disarming Iraq, Page 171